Is sea bass a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish? Explained clearly in one article

Sea bass is one of the common commercial fish species and is also a species developed for marine aquaculture. It is rich in nutrients, containing protein, fat, carbohydrates and other nutritional components, as well as vitamin B2, niacin and trace amounts of vitamin B1, phosphorus, iron and other substances. Let's take a look below at whether sea bass is a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish!

Is sea bass a freshwater fish or a saltwater fish?

Sea bass includes both freshwater fish and saltwater fish. Sea bass does not refer to just a single type of fish; in fact, many kinds of fish can be called sea bass. Among them, the four most common are: the Japanese sea bass, which lives in coastal waters and at the meeting point of seawater and freshwater in estuaries; the Songjiang bass (roughskin sculpin), which after sexual maturity migrates downstream to the sea to spawn while the juveniles return to freshwater rivers to live; the largemouth bass, which inhabits waters with low turbidity and aquatic plants; and the Eurasian perch, which is a freshwater fish distributed in the temperate and cold zones of Eurasia.

Differences between sea bass and river perch

1. Appearance differences: The most obvious “mark” of the sea bass is that there are many black round spots on its back, while the river perch does not have them.

2. Survival differences: Sea bass is basically dead when sold, mostly as chilled fresh fish, while river perch is generally alive when purchased.

3. Taste differences: Sea bass meat is relatively “dry and tough”, with a stronger fishy smell. River perch meat, on the other hand, is elastic and relatively palatable.

What varieties of sea bass are there?

1. Largemouth bass: The largemouth bass is a freshwater fish, also known as the California bass. It is native to the United States and was introduced into China in the 1980s as a substitute species for sea bass. Most of the freshwater bass seen on the market is this variety.

2. River perch: The river perch is the biological sea bass, also known as the red perch, five-striped perch, etc. According to the biological definition, only this river perch can be directly called “sea bass”. In China, it has naturally distributed populations only in **.

3. Songjiang bass: The Songjiang bass, also known as the Songjiang four-gill perch, is a coastal shallow-sea fish. It generally grows and fattens in freshwater river areas connected to the sea. After sexual maturity, it migrates downstream to the sea to spawn, and the juveniles return to freshwater rivers to live.

4. Barramundi: The barramundi, also known as the giant sea perch, blind mullet, etc., is distributed in river systems in Africa as well as coastal and estuarine areas of Asia and Australia. It is farmed in various Southeast Asian countries, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, China, Hainan, Shenzhen, Zhongshan and other places.

5. Walleye: The walleye is an important game fish and commercial fish in the United States, Canada and other countries. In Canada, its output ranks second among freshwater fish. It has a farming history of more than 100 years in the United States and Canada.

6. Sea bass: Sea bass is relatively widely distributed in the ocean, found in both the Pacific Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. Among these, the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and the Bohai Sea in Asia are major producing areas, and it is also produced along the west coast of the United States and in the Peruvian fishing grounds of South America.